What if we told you that Keanu Reeves’ iconic portrayal of the dapper neo-noir hero might have never been seen, and the John Wick franchise could have been lost to history?
Last year, the billion-dollar franchise marked its 10-year anniversary, thrilling die-hard fans worldwide. However, during an interview with Business Insider, co-directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch revealed that the franchise — and even the first film — was nearly shelved before it had a chance to take off. According to Stahelski, there was a very real possibility of the project being cancelled, had it not been for a timely intervention from a surprise investor.
“We were less than a week out and we lost almost millions on a gap financing. We had all put in everything, including Keanu. And we were still short. So we were shut down,” Stahelski recalled. At the time, Creative Artists Agency had pitched the film to several actors as an investment opportunity, with the promise that they would be the first to see returns on the profits.
It was then that Eva Longoria, whose name was unknown to the directors at the time, stepped in. “She came to the rescue and provided the gap financing. Literally less than 24 hours before we had to lock the doors on the movie and walk away, our producer said, ‘We’ve got the investor, we’ve locked the gap’,” Stahelski shared.
For Longoria, the decision was far from a calculated business move. “I was in my infancy. My bankroll was very new, and it was a lot of money, and I was like, ‘So how does it work?’ I had no idea. I would love to say I was an investment genius and I just knew and I calculated my risk. No, none of that,” she admitted. What ultimately convinced her to get involved was the directors’ passion and their impressive backgrounds. “It was that. They were undeniably passionate and I knew they were going to make an undeniable product,” Longoria said.
Despite her critical role in the franchise’s survival, Longoria admitted that one of her regrets was not being more involved in the subsequent films. “What I’m pissed off about is I wasn’t connected to the rest of them. This was a one-time thing. That was the gamble. But that was my only mistake, not being attached to all of the films,” she said.
So, if you’re a John Wick fan, you definitely have Eva Longoria to thank for saving the franchise from a premature end.